“Well,Fennequicklytriedtomakemeforgetmyworries.Shewasajolly
girl, I tell you. Do you know what she thought up? We’d both frighten
unwanted guests. Imagine: a guest like that enters the courtyard, looks
around, and then, with a roar, I charge at him on all fours with Fenne,
completelynaked,sittingonmybackandblowingmygrandfather’shunting
horn!”
Nivellenshookwithlaughter,thewhiteofhisfangsflashing.“Fenne,”he
continued,“stayedwithmeforayear,thenreturnedtoherfamilywithahuge
dowry.Shewaspreparingtomarryatavernowner,awidower.”
“Carryon,Nivellen.Thisisinteresting.”
“You think so?” said the monster, scratching himself between the ears
witharaspingsound.“Allright.Thenextone,Primula,wasthedaughterof
animpoverishedknight.Theknight,whenhegothere,hadaskinnyhorse,a
rustycuirassandincredibledebts.Hewasashideousascowdung,Itellyou,
Geralt, and spread a similar smell. Primula, I’d wager my right hand, was
conceivedwhilehewasatwar,asshewasquitepretty.Ididn’tfrightenher
either,whichisn’tsurprising,really,ascomparedtoherparentImighthave
appearedquitecomely.Shehad,asitturnedout,quiteatemperamentandI,
havinggainedsomeself-confidence, seized themomentbythehorns.After
twoweeksPrimulaandIalreadyhadaverycloserelationship.Shelikedto
pullmebytheearsandshout,‘Bitemetodeath,youanimal!’and‘Tearme
apart,youbeast!’ and other equally idiotic things. I ranto the mirror in the
breaks, but just imagine, Geralt, I looked at myself with growing anxiety.
LessandlessdidIlongtoreturntomyformershape.Yousee,Geralt,Iused
tobeaweaklingandnowI’dbecomeastrappingfellow.I’dkeepgettingill,
I’dcough,mynosewouldrun,butnowIdon’tcatchanything.Andmyteeth?
You wouldn’t believe how rotten my teeth had been! And now? I can bite
throughthelegofachair.Doyouwantmetobiteachairleg?”
“No,Idon’t.”
“Maybethat’sgood.”Themonsteropenedhismouthwide.“Myshowing-
off used to amuse the girls and there aren’t many whole chairs left in the
house.”Nivellenyawned,hisenormoustonguerollingupintoatube.
“This talking has made me tired, Geralt. Briefly: there were two after
Primula, Ilka and Venimira. Everything happened in the same way, to the
point of boredom. First, a mixture of fear and reserve, then a thread of
sympathy thy reinforced by small but precious gifts, then ‘Bite me, eat me
up,’ Daddy’s return, a tender farewell and an increasingly discernible
depletion of the treasury. I decided to take longer breaks to be alone. Of-